Air Canada aircraft crash lands in snowstorm

An Air Canada A320 aircraft landed about 1,100 feet short of the runway in Halifax yesterday, injuring 23 passengers and crew.

The incident happened at Halifax Stanfield International airport in Nova Scotia as flight AC624 from Toronto arrived during a snowstorm at approximately 0043 local time (0443 GMT).

The plane landed short of the runway and crashed into a bank of antennas which tore off its landing gear, nose cone and an engine. It then skidded on its belly.

All but one of the 23 people taken to hospital with minor injuries have been released.

A spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said investigators have yet to discover the cause of the accident.

A statement from Air Canada said: "We are greatly relieved that no one was critically injured. Yet, we fully appreciate this has been a very unsettling experience for our customers and their families, as well as our employees, and we are focused on caring for all those affected.

"We will also fully cooperate with the Transportation Safety Board as it begins an investigation to determine the cause."

Air Canada will increase services on its Calgary to London Heathrow route this summer (see news, February 9).